Millheim Journal. [volume] (Millheim, Pa.) 1876-1984, 1887-05-26

Mans and woman's Slavery TO the
Whims Of those High In Social
Station

| In observing the characteristics and
changes Of fashion 1t Ia impossible not
to ridicule them. We may become
familiarized with O present fashion
and see nothing propostarous In the
attire in which humanity may clothe
itself; but when we look back historic-
ally TO the many devices which haYe
been used for her occasions we find
abundance of amusement in the rec.
ords OF luxurious folly. The queen Of
fantasy has been denounced with the
anrtbemas of the church, stigmatized
with the ridicule of the stage and ap-
paren,ly crushed by sumptuary en-
actments but "resurganl" 10 written
on her brow and she stalks triumphant
In every age.
Many Of the fashions Of former days
were invented to conceal some deform-
| ity of person. Hoops, cushions, pan
iers and other monstrous devices were
substituted to make up for certain un-
kindnesses Of Nature, who had not
graced all her creatures with the forms
to which they considered themselves
entitled. Thus patches were invented
in England in the reign OF Edward
vi. by foreign lady, who concealed
with one an eruption on her face, and
to sucn height was the fashion car.
ried that the ladies cut their black
patches into divers grotesqLe forms,
such as rings, crosses, crowns, etc. In
book published at the time the author
has prefxed picture of Virtue and Of
Vice, in which virtue is modestly rep
resented as wearing plain black dress
and hood, with 'kerchief covering
ber neck and Vice with a low-cut
dress wears no 'kerchiefover the parts
which modesty should hide, and with
face variously figured with patches
most curiously devised of all manner
of fantastical conceits.
Full-bottomed wigs were invented
by'a Freuch-barber named Duviller for
the purpose of concealing deformity
in the shoulder of the Dauphin Of
France, and, while the beau monde in
England, wore their hairluxuriant, the
bench and the bar were ne en- with the
enormous wig, and the physicians ap-
preciated conformity the magical effect
that was paid to il by the world.
To hide his iIl-made legs, Charles
VII. of France introduced long coats,
reaching to the ground, and Henry,
Duke of Anjou, wore shoes, whose
points extended fully two feet, to con-
ceal an excrescence on one Of his
toes. So. also when Francis /. was
obliged to wear his hair short on ac-
count OF a wound he had received on
bis head. itbecame theprevailng fash.
ion of the time.
Conceive, If you can, O bean and
belle of the time OF Queen Elizabeth,
the beau dressed i'm his starched doub-
let, bis luxurious curls, mustache and
beard starched to point, his enor-
nous breeches pushed out to q most
laughable excess, being stuffed with
wool, hair. feathers, or other light
material-to all which was attached
rapier of about four feet In length,
sticking about horizontally from his
side the belle with O standing ruff
rising above her head, her stays or
bodice SO long wasted that il reached
to her knees, with large hoop farth-
ingale that extended around her Ikea
capacious tub, making it impossible
for her beau to impress his love upon
her distant lips, and which allowed
him only to come in contact with ex-
tended hands Yet such was the do
minion of fashion that these creatures
walked the earth, not with commiser-
alton of mankind, but with the same
envy that the world now looks upon
her disciples who parade together as
mincing monkey and the divinely
dropping kangaroo.